Cushioned wheel.



A. S. DUFFIES 6L F. MEAD.

CUSHIONED WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1916.

Patented. Aug. 20, 19l8.

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einen, or CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

CUSHONE WHEEL.

"pecication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 240, MMS.

Application filed March 31, 1916. Serial No. 87,902.

To all 'aU/wm t may concer/i Be it known that we, iniwann Dnrrins, residing at Markesan, in the county of Green Lake and State of l/Visconsin, and Fui-mors Munn, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof lllinois,fboth citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushioned l/Vheels; and we do hereby declare the following to be al full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others yskilled. in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

@ur invention relates to the class of cushioned wheels having resilient means interposed between inner and outer rim members, one of its main objects being the providing of an inclosure which will prevent the entrance of dust, rain, mud or the like into the space between the rim members. Another general object is the aording of al substantially airtight inclosure for the cushioning means so as to afford a cheap equivalent for the pneumatic tire as an auxiliary to the cushions. More particularly, our invention aims to provide simple, inexpensiv and readily applied means for guarding the space between inner and out-er wheel rims to prevent the entrance of foreign matter: to provide airtight flexible flanges which will cooperate with the inner and outer rims inclosing the annular space between the said rims, so that cushion of air may be maintained in the said space: to provide simple means for using such guards or flexible {tang-es in wheel constructions employing side plates on either the inner or the outer rim or both, and to provide simple means for simultaneously securing' the guards or iexible flanges and the side plates to the rims carrying the latter: to provide for a speefrv removing and replacing of the iieXible guards or ianges, and to protect such guards or flanges from mechanical injury.

Further objects will appear from the follovy specilication and from the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of wheel equipped with our invention.

L is a transverse section through Fig` l. along the line 2`2.

F ig. 3 is a fragmentary section showing another method of securing the flexible guards to the inner rim of the wheel.

is a fragmentary section showing e our invention! lVhile our invention may be applied with :'ubstantially equal facility to widely varying types of wheel constructions, it is particularly adapted to wheels having rubber cushioning elements disposed in annular formation between inner and cuter rim members. For example, Figs. l and 2 show our invention as applied to the wheel construction disclosed in UnitedStates Patent Ne 1,195,379 granted to Francis Mead, Aug. 22, 191,6, whichV construction embodies rubber cushions l carried by the inner rim 2 and projecting laterally beyond the latter into engagement with annular side plates l carried by the outer rim el. ln equipping such wheelswith our invention, we preferably substitute for a side plate of single thickness (as 'disclosed appiieation) a pair of plates 3 and 5 hav ing` alined perforations .for receiving the shanks of the boltslG which secure these plates tothe outer rim 4l. Between the plates 3 and 5 at each side of the wheel we clamp a flexible guard 6 of rubberized or cravenetted fabric or the like, which fabric projects radially inward from the said platesso to span the space between the inner and outel1 rims. `At or near its radially inner edge, the guard 6 is suitably secured to the inner rim 2, by clamping rings 7 fastened by bolts 8. However, the fabric or guard is not stretched taut, but preferably has sufficient slack in it to perinit considerable relative movement of the inner and outer rim members radially of the wheel without straining the fabric. It is also preferably of such material that the weave will permit of some distortion, thereby allowing such relative circumferential movement of the inner and outer rims as is needed during the effective operation of the wheel. To prevent the formation of creases or folds in the fabric which might crack the atter and which also would render it more liable to damage by contact with stones and the like, this fabric is preferably of such a width radially7 of the wheel as to permit of a decided bulge or bend. "When the wheel is in serif'ice, the movementof the rim parts will. during each revolution of a wheel, tend successively to compress the air inclosed between the cushions l, the fabric 6 and the rim members 2 and 4 at different points along the fabric. This compressing will force the fabric outwardly wherever it may have been eentracted, and this action may in the said pending be iiiereeeed by compressing the air iii the .Smid iiieloeed annuler eprice :it erich side or' the Wheel. Moreover, by increasing this eomireesioii, erich et the seit annular Charnbers may be iliade te eet Substantially zitter the. meneer of e p .euriietie tire, i'zhereb)Y producing euehieiiirig effect Whieh `will Cooperate with the resiliencyY iter the Wheel when the letter iii rie-e.

Y Steed et securing the radially inner perrioii or' the guard tebric to the inner rim br clamping ruige T ieeteiied by belt-e 87 @brione that other changes might be made en and arrzmgeiiient Witheiit departing 'treni the spirit of our ihrentieii, heiiee we de not Wish te be limited either in materiele or otherwise to the arbore dieelesure. Nor do we wish to be limited to the eiiiplojfrneiit or euch flexible guards merelyv ter ei'ordiiig air chambers adapted te augment the reeilieiiej,Y of the Wheel, or merely toi preventing mud or dust from entering' the aiiriiilar epilee between tlie rim iiieiiibere land Vthe eide platee, that is to eey, the space iii Which the rubber eilebioiis l are mounted. lt will be obvious from the drawings t the guard fabrics were mme/ee emitted, dirt, Stones zuid the like would readily: enter between the cushions and beth the rim members und the side plates; Coileequeutly, the operation er such Wheels; rfeiild be attended -not only by the noise of Jthe grinding or euch foreign iriatter between the adjacent parte, but also by the weer Ori these pe te, all ot' which ere effectively iroided by the eii'iployiiieiit of our iiiveir lllhere the iiiolosed air is te be com* reeeed, the guard may preferably be mede hitirely henry material, but Where the ie only to Serre es part of e moisture 1d diri',` excluding bruising, it may be made f hiii fabric. lli either Cese1 it `Will be ebt that by removing either beth the ,ide flange en, the Outer rim, and oiie er" the ringe mi the iimer rim, the fabric maj; readily be remored and replace-d when necessary.

li' e Claim es our invention:

ln e vehicle Wheel, the eeiiibiiietion with iiiier and enter rims disposed for relative motion beth reeiully and laterally of the Wheel. o'f resilient cushions interposed therebetween and each iieriiizilly iiieh with e side of one et Seid rime. of a pair or' iiiiierlible. annuler rings carried on each side oit the lest Denied rimT the inner et Seid rings extending flush with and opposing the Seid Sides arid Contacting laterallyv with said eiiehioiie mi annuler guard of flexible tab-rie elziiiiped between each pair ot' Seid rings and extending radially of the Wheel past e portieri of* the other rim` and meme tor securing enio guard to the last named rim.

tente. 

